IT spending to reach $80 bn in 2012: Gartner

Indian companies are expected to continue investing in IT infrastructure despite global economic challenges and the country's IT spending is projected to grow 9.1% to $79.8 billion in 2012, according to research firm Gartner.

This is against an IT spending of $73.1 billion in 2011, it added.

"Businesses are increasingly looking to IT to help support the challenges of enhancing customer support, supply chain management, optimising business processes or helping drive innovation in the business," Gartner Senior Vice President and Global Head of Research Peter Sondergaard said in a statement.

India, like other emerging markets, continues strong momentum, despite inflationary pressures and appreciation of the rupee against the US dollar.

Gartner said that worldwide IT spending will reach nearly $3.7 trillion in 2011. From this amount, emerging economies will account for $1.013 trillion.

"These demands are being placed on IT in an environment in which the infrastructure (hardware and software) foundation of IT within many enterprises may not be entirely in place. IT is also in transition from being viewed as a back-office support function to a frontline business-focused function," Sondergaard said.

The telecom market is expected to be the largest contributor to the IT segment in India with spending forecast to reach $54.7 billion in 2012.

This is expected to be followed by the IT services market with the spending of $11.1 billion.

The computing hardware market in India is projected to reach $10.7 billion in 2012, and software spending will total $3.2 billion.

"The days when IT was the passive observer of the world are over. Global politics and the global economy are being shaped by IT," Sondergaard said.